‘Scandal in plain sight’: charities call for help for Ukrainian seasonal workers

theguardian.com:

Lawyers and campaigners have called on the government to take urgent action to help thousands of Ukrainian seasonal farm workers who were in the UK when the war started and have been left at risk of destitution, abuse and exploitation here.

Ukrainians made up by far the largest proportion of workers in the UK on seasonal worker visas in 2021. Of the 29,631 visas issued under the T5 seasonal work scheme, 19,920 – 67% – were given to Ukrainians. The Scottish Refugee Council estimates that there are up to 6,000 in the UK.

While the government has announced two schemes to allow Ukrainians to come to the UK – the family visa scheme and the community sponsorship scheme – Ukrainian farm workers who are here on six-month visas do not qualify for either.

The Home Office has extended the seasonal farm worker visas until the end of 2024 but workers are tied to their employer, cannot seek alternative work outside the farming sector and have no recourse to public funds. They do not have the right to bring family members to the UK from Ukraine.

Graham O’Neill, the policy manager at the Scottish Refugee Council, is calling for this group of temporary workers to be immediately moved on to the Ukraine family scheme, which has more rights attached to it.

“We regard the UK government’s lack of action … at this traumatic time as a scandal in plain sight,” he said.

Focus On Labour Exploitation (Flex) and other organisations have written to the home secretary, Priti Patel, and the immigration minister Kevin Foster raising concerns about the plight of Ukrainian farm workers and calling on government to make policy concessions in order to safeguard them.

Lucila Granada, the chief executive of Flex, said: “We want to see the safety and wellbeing of